No More Sake for Tasukichan
by Neo Sailor Saggitarius
Summary: Tasuki's had too much sake and Chichiri is left to get him to his room before Mitsukake kills him. Completed! What you've all been waiting for... The conclusion. (It's shonen-ai by the way, just in case you don't like that stuff)
1. No More

Disclaimer: I don't own them... sigh, eyes start to fill with tears Why'd you have to bring that up? glares and runs off crying

Author's Note: This is my first Fushigi Yugi fanfic, so be kind. Any kind of criticism will be welcomed, but I must warn you that anything bad written will be laughed at and hung on my wall as memorabelia. Anyway, I was hyped up too late at night, on sugar when I wrote this so... Enjoy!

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**No More Sake for Tasuki-chan**

"I think Tasuki-chan had too much to drink, no da," Chichiri said indicating the staggering red-head slowly approaching their table. Everyone turned their heads and sure enough, there was Tasuki weaving across the empty floor toward their table, falling one step back for every two he managed to stagger forward. The groan that followed could be heard on the other side of the street as everyone at the table wished once again that Tasuki had never found out what sake was, even though none of them had even known who Tasuki was when he had.

"Hey guysh ish everyone havin' a good time, caush I shure am." Tasuki smiled broadly at his companions, half falling into a chair. An odd look came over his face as he rearranged himself. "Man, these sheats are really comferable."

When he looked around and saw the horrified looks on everyone's faces Tasuki looked puzzled. "Wash the matter," he asked, confused.

A muffled voice could be heard from behind Tasuki, but the words weren't audible until he leaned forward. "Tasuki. . . would you please GET OFF OF ME!"

"Sure Mitsukake," Tasuki said happily. "Where are you?"

"Turn around. . ." The voice was becoming more agitated by the second. Tasuki did so, and came face to face with a very annoyed Mitsukake.

"What you doing down there Mitsukake?"

That was the last straw and everyone but Tasuki could see it. Quickly Chichiri pulled Tasuki off the chair by the collar of his shirt.

"Anou. . . Tasuki-chan, maybe you should go upstairs, no da. You look kind of tired, na no da."

Tasuki yawned, the sake finally getting to him. "I guesh yer right Chichiri, I am kind of tired." Tasuki turned around and walked with Chichiri to the stairs with commendable ease, considering his condition. Everyone at the table, except Mitsukake, breathed a sigh of relief. . . a little too soon.

Just as Tasuki reached the bottom step he turned around and grinned widely at Mitsukake, showing his fangs.

"Thanks fer the seat Mitsukake. It wash really shoft."

Chichiri managed to drag Tasuki down, just as a bowl hit the wall where his head had been seconds before. Tasuki's eyes were wide with surprise when he stood back up. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Chichiri clapped a hand quickly over his mouth before he could and dragged him up the stairs to his room.

An even louder sigh of relief was heard from the table when the door to Tasuki's room slid shut. A few minutes later, Chichiri ran quickly out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the door for a few minutes taking deep breaths, allowing those at the table to examine his condition. He was breathing hard, his hair was falling out of its ponytail, and his shirt was dangerously close to falling off his shoulder. He looked frazzled, to say the least. The others gave him questioning looks as he returned to the table, but he simply shook his head and collapsed back into his chair.

"No more sake for Tasuki-chan," he grumbled slowly, shaking his head again.

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A/N: Well, there it is. Did you enjoy it like I said to..? shakes fist ...cause if you didn't...Ahem... anyway. I hope you liked it, if you didn't...Oh well...

Please R&R!

Side Note: Just for everyone's info, because I've gotten a few questions about it. The term "sheat" in the first part of the chapter, is to refer to the fact that a living, breathing Mitsukake is slightly softer and more comfortable than the wooden chairs that were provided in the place where they were staying. I wrote the word as "sheat" because I was trying to slur the word for "inebriated talk." Though it appears that did not turn out quite as I had planned it to either. lol Ah well, it's just me and my strange sense of humor.


	2. Never Any More

Author's Note: *peeks out from behind her desk* I am soooooo sorry everyone… I didn't mean to take this long to finish this chapter, but I had sooooo much work to do for school… Anyway, anyone who wanted a sequel to this story, I am proud to say I have written one, see below. Anyone who didn't want a sequel…well too bad, hit backwards now. So, here it is anyone…Tasuki continues his antics and…well, just read it.

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Chapter 2: Never any more Sake for Tasuki-chan

Everyone was already up the next morning when Tasuki managed to drag himself out of bed. He didn't really want to get up , but there was something he needed to do. Once it was done, he could collapse back into bed again for about week, or at least until he got "thirsty" again.

Tasuki carefully took the stairs one at a time, trying not to jar his head too much in the process. He walked up to the table, the same one they'd been at last night in fact, and stopped behind Chichiri's seat.

"Oi," Tasuki greeted everyone, then winced and quickly lowered his voice. "How you guys doin' this mornin?"

Four pairs of eyes raised to look at Tasuki and a chorus of "We're fine" accompanied them.

Tasuki cracked a small smile, not noticing that two of the group had not answered him. Mitsukake simply gritted his teeth, while Chichiri froze and was unable to say a word. He hadn't felt Tasuki come up behind him, how couldn't he have noticed. Chichiri's distress went unnoticed by the others, who were all too busy praying to Suzaku that Mitsukake kept his fists clenched neatly in his lap.

Tasuki slid into the seat next to Chichiri and turned to look at the group sitting around the table. He smiled a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head before talking.

"Look guys. I don't really remember everything that happened last night, but I have a feelin' I need to apologize fer somethin. So, whatever I did...I uh, didn't mean anything by it." Tasuki looked around the table at the faces of his friends and started to get a little nervous when no one said anything. "...Um, I didn't do anything _too_ bad did I?"

Still no one spoke, but there were a few quick glances at Chichiri, everyone was too afraid they'd be burned by the fire in Mitsukake's eyes to look at him. A few more minutes went by, no none saying a word, until Tasuki finally caught on to what everyone was staring at and turned to the blue-haired monk.

"...Chichiri..." he said questioningly.

Sighing, Chichiri looked up at Tasuki, his mask smiling like it always did. "Don't worry about it Tasuki, no da. You didn't do anything..._too_ bad, na no da." A glance at Mitsukake had caused him to pause and rethink his statement, but other than that he managed to force out the lie.

The others visibly relaxed when they heard Chichiri's words. Ever since Chichiri had rushed out of Tasuki's room last night, no one had been able to get him to say a word about what had happened. Now they figured that, like he said, nothing had happened. Only one person in the group noticed the slightly forced cheerfulness in Chichiri's voice, and he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about it.

Tasuki grinned toothily at Chichiri and slumped back in his chair, closing his eyes for a second. "Well, that's a relief," he said before standing up again. "If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna go back up t'my room. I think I need to sleep fer a little while longer."

The others nodded and agreed quickly, glad for an excuse to get Tasuki back up to his room before he ordered any more sake. Flashing another toothy grin that said "I know _exactly_ why you guys want me to go back up there," Tasuki turned to walk slowly toward the stairs. Just before he reached the landing, Tasuki turned back to look at the group with a slightly confused look on his face. "Oi, Mitsukake," he called, waiting until the man looked up before he finished his sentence. "Is it just my imagination, or did I give you a lap dance last night?"

Mitsukake was too stunned by the question to do anything but gape at Tasuki, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Not receiving an answer, Tasuki shrugged and started back up the stairs, holding tightly to the rail to make sure he didn't lose his balance.

About halfway up the stairs, Tasuki turned back to look at the group a sly, fanged smirk on his face.

"Oi, Mitsukake," he called once again. "If ya _wanted_ me to give ya a lap dance, all ya had to do was ask. Ya didn't have to get me drunk." With one final wink, Tasuki climbed the rest of the way up the stairs and went into his room. The sound of the door closing was the only noise that penetrated the complete and utter silence that descended upon the group left at the table. They all turned to look at Mitsukake, who was now turning an interesting shade of purple.

No one made a sound, for fear that Mitsukake might explode at any second. Much to their surprise, he calmly let out the breathe that he'd been holding and inhaled another with his eyes closed.

When Mitsukake opened his eyes again, he seemed to have himself under control, so the group breathed a collective sigh of relief and started to relax. No one really paid much attention to him when he stood up, but they all looked at him with exasperation when he calmly stated trough gritted teeth, "If everyone will excuse me. I'm going to go kill Tasuki now..."

He turned to do just that, when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder propelling him back down into his seat. Then promptly down _through_ his seat to the floor. Mitsukake hit the floor with a loud THUD and looked back up at Nuriko with shock and annoyance.

"Just leave him alone Mitsukake," Nuriko said. "You know he didn't mean anything by it." Nuriko looked over toward the seat that Mitsukake _should_ have been in to emphasize his point, when he noticed the empty air next to him. Then he looked down guiltily at the floor where his friend had actually ended up. "Oops," he said with a innocent shrug, trying not to laugh.  


Mitsukake's anger was now completely focused on Nuriko, leaving Tasuki safe for now. The others at the table all chipped in to try to help Mitsukake feel better about his hurt "pride", while Nuriko was holding Mitsukake down to keep him from lunging at his throat.

Chichiri decided to take this opportunity to go for a walk. He had a lot of things he needed to think about and the others would be occupied with keeping Mitsukake calm for while, so he could be sure that he'd be alone. Chichiri slowly got up from the table and walked out the door, while everyone was too busy to notice. He was positive he'd gotten away without anyone seeing him, and he was mostly right. Only one person noticed Chichiri walk away. The same person who had noticed his forced cheerfulness when he'd been talking to Tasuki earlier. . .

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A/N: Well there it was…heh…please, nobody kill me…at least not until I have managed to run to a safer continent…I hear Antarctica's nice this time of year…well, until next time…and there _will_ be a next time. *evil laughter*

Ja


	3. The Reason

Author's Note: Hey everyone... I live. And as long as you all put down those sharp pointy objects I'll remain in the land of the living. I swore I would get another chapter of this out even if it killed me and here it is. I didn't mean for it to take so long. Who knew getting ready to go to college would be so time-consuming? Anyway, I know a lot of you reviewers have been asking about what happened in that inn room. Well wonder no more. Here for your reading pleasure is the third installment of No More Sake for Tasuki-chan.

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**Chapter 3: The Reason why Sake should Die**

Chichiri made his way quietly out the door, not really caring where he ended up, just knowing he had to get away from the others. Without really thinking about where he was going, Chichiri ended up walking out behind the inn to the pond he'd noticed from his window before any of this confusion happened.

Chichiri slowly sat down on the grass near the edge of the pond. Looking around, he managed to find a small pile of rocks a few inches from where he was sitting. He picked one up and studied it for a few seconds before tossing it out into the water a few feet away.

The rock hit the water, making a small splash before sinking into the depths of the pond, ripples fanning outward from the place where it hit. Chichiri stared transfixed at the ripples drifting outward in the clear reflective water. Noticing how his mirror image became distorted as the ripples washed through it, Chichiri thought it perfectly matched how he was feeling right now.

After everything that had happened last night, Chichiri had expected Tasuki to do any number of things. The top two on the list being either grin knowingly at him and wink or to make some comment about what Chichiri really kept beneath his robes. He never expected Tasuki would just completely forget what happened.

Chichiri groaned and swiped a hand down his face in frustration. "I must be some kind of idiot,"he muttered to himself shaking his head. "I mean, I should be happy he doesn't remember what happened. Truthfully, I'm not even sure _I_ know what happened."

_You just know you liked it._

"Oh, shut up," Chichiri grumbled at his inner voice, which was surprisingly starting to sound a lot like a certain purple-haired man he knew. "You don't have any idea what you're talking about."

_Oh don't I? Let's remember for a moment exactly what happened last night and _then_ you tell me again how you didn't enjoy what he did...Even a little bit_.

Knowing he shouldn't, but unable to stop the inevitable, Chichiri let his thoughts drift back to the night before, after he'd helped Tasuki stumble back up to his room.

--**Flashback--**

Chichiri was immensely relieved when he managed to slide the door open to Tasuki's room. It had taken most of his strength just to pull the drunken bandit up the short staircase to the hallway because Tasuki's body kept wanting to slump in the completely opposite direction from where Chichiri was trying to lead him.

Having successfully reached his destination, Chichiri drug Tasuki over to the bed and let him fall unceremoniously onto it. That task accomplished, Chichiri turned back to the open doorway. He walked over to it, offhandedly noticing how much more inviting the brightly-lit hallway was compared to the dark inn room where the inebriated bandit lay.

_I could leave right now and no one would even notice_, Chichiri thought to himself. The thought was so tempting he even managed to take a step out into the hallway before he paused and turned around to look at the haphazard heap on the bed formerly known as Tasuki.

Sighing loudly Chichiri stepped back into the room and slid the door closed behind him. _I guess I should at least make Tasuki-chan comfortable before I go back down to the others_.

Ignoring the ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen, Chichiri turned away from the door and reluctantly walked back over to the bed. He looked at the Tasuki-heap for a few seconds before deciding the first thing to do was lay Tasuki out flat. With great effort, and more than one suspicious glare at Tasuki, Chichiri finally managed to arrange Tasuki comfortably on the pillows. That done, he moved on to the task of getting off Tasuki's unnecessary outer garments.

Cautiously, so as not to completely awaken the semi-conscious bandit, Chichiri removed first his boots and then the fan attached to his back. Finally he was faced with the task of removing Tasuki's long overcoat.

Pondering how he should proceed for a while, Chichiri finally came to the conclusion that he should remove the belt first. Once the front was open he would prop Tasuki up so he could push the coat off, and then he could simply pull it out from underneath him. Satisfied with his plan of action, Chichiri got to work on the belt.

The plan was running along rather smoothly, until Chichiri noticed Tasuki's eyes cracking open.

_Oh damn, no da, _Chichiri cursed silently. _I better get this thing off him and get out of here quickly before he wakes the rest of the way up_. After seeing Tasuki's drunken performance earlier, he really didn't want to face the bandit again until he was semi-sober.

As quickly as he could, Chichiri pulled Tasuki's arms out of the sleeves and laid him back down on the bed so he could pull it out from underneath him. Chichiri turned around and deposited the coat next to the bed, preparing to make his getaway when he felt Tasuki's fingers wrap around his wrist.

_Now what_?

Chichiri sighed, turning around to voice that same question. Before he could turn around completely though, Tasuki gave a sharp tug on the wrist he had captured. Chichiri, who wasn't prepared for the action, stumbled and fell into the bed on top of Tasuki. Startled with this turn of events Chichiri tried to scramble up off Tasuki and out of the bed, but to his horror Tasuki's other arm snaked out from where it was trapped between them and wrapped around Chichiri's lower back effectively pinning him down on the fiery-haired bandit.

"Um... Tasuki-chan... What are you doing, no da," Chichiri asked, trying to brace his arms on either side of Tasuki's body so he wouldn't be laying completely on top of him.

Instead of answering him, Tasuki released his hold on Chichiri's wrist and wrapped it instead around the back of his neck. His other hand began to gently caress Chichiri's lower back.

Chichiri froze in shock, not sure what to do. He tried to push himself up and out of Tasuki's grasp, but found the bandit's tight hold impossible to break. At the same time he realized the hand on his lower back was starting to make him feel very odd and his arms feel weak. Before they gave out completely Chichiri decided to try to break through to Tasuki one last time.

"Tasuki-chan, let go of me, no da. You're too drunk to realize what you're-mpfh." Chichiri's plea was cut off short when Tasuki pulled him down completely on top of himself and captured Chichiri's lips with his own.

Chichiri stiffened in surprise and shock. He knew he should push himself away from Tasuki and get the hell out of the room as fast as possible, but he couldn't seem to make his body listen to his brain. He wasn't sure what Tasuki was doing to him at the moment, but it felt so good he wasn't even sure he _wanted_ to stop him.

Tasuki's hands were traveling all over Chichiri's upper body, caressing him softly as they went. When Tasuki abandoned his lips to nibble lightly over his jaw and down his neck Chichiri, whose brain hadn't yet recovered from his initial shock, reacted instinctively and let his head fall to one side to allow Tasuki better access. He didn't even notice when Tasuki's nimble fingers ventured inside his clothes, searching for bare skin.

The first touch of Tasuki's hands on his bare shoulders jolted Chichiri out of his state of shock. He began struggling to get out of Tasuki's firm grip, only to find himself flat on his back a few seconds later with Tasuki's weight pressing him down into the bed.

Not knowing what else to do, Chichiri continued to struggle as the bandit returned to the matter of trying to get to as much of Chichiri's skin as possible. Chiciri gasped when one of Tasuki's hands grazed over his nipple, halting his movements for a few seconds and giving Tasuki the chance he needed to return to exploring Chichiri's neck with his lips.

Feeling his brain beginning to go into sensory overload, Chichiri knew he needed to stop Tasuki quickly before his brain completely shut down. Acting purely on instinct he lunged at the only thing within range of his mouth, which happened to be Tasuki's shoulder, and bit down as hard as he could. Tasuki yelped in surprise, giving Chichiri just enough leverage to push Tasuki up and off him, so he could roll off the bed. When his feet touched the floor Chichiri took off for the door, not even bothering to look back and make sure Tasuki was alright.

Chichiri raced out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned back against it for a few minutes trying to catch his breath as the others looked up started from their table down below.

--**End Flashback**--

Chichiri's face was burning up underneath his mask as he remembered what Tasuki had done to him the night before. He shivered lightly as the feelings brought on by Tasuki's skilled hands came back to him in a rush.

_See I told you so,_ Chichiri's inner voice told him, a smirk evident in its voice.

"Oh shut up," Chichiri shot back, willing the deep blush to leave his cheeks.

_My, what a wonderful retort. Is that the best you can come up with?_

"I said shut up."

What's the matter? Can't come up with anything to say because you're too busy thinking about what those skilled hands were doing?

"I'm not listening to you."

Chichiri was so caught up in arguing with himself he didn't notice the man sneaking up quietly behind him.

"Hey Chichiri-chan," the man yelled happily. "What are you up to all alone out here?"

_Oh Suzaku no_," Chichiri thought horrified as he turned around slowly. _Not him. Anyone but him._

To Be Continued...

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So, what did you all think? How many of you are ready to kill me now? On second thought, don't tell me. I don't want to know. Just so everyone knows there should only be about one more chapter left and then that'll be it. I'm hoping to get it out pretty quick but that'll depend on how fast HP fixes my computer. Cross your fingers.

Ja


	4. Maybe A Little

Author's note: Well it's finally here. The final chapter in "No More Sake for Tasuki-chan." It's been a whole heck of a lot of fun writing this thing. I'd like to thank everyone who's been reviewing this story. ·sniffle· I love you people. Ahem, cough. Oh, and one last thing before the story continues. I think I meant to say Chichiri-chan at the end of the last chapter, but it was about twelve o'clock at night and I had no idea what I was typing at that point. I have remedied this error though. Thanks to those of you who pointed that out. Hey, but at least none of you were able to guess who was really sneaking up behind Chichiri though. Now...On to the story. Dun da da dun!!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, though life would be much more interesting if I did.

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**Chapter 4: Maybe a Little Sake for Tasuki-chan**

Chichiri could swear someone up there was out to get him. That was the only plausible reason he could think of as to why he was now looking up into the face of a very chipper Nuriko.

"Sooooooo," the braided man asked once again when he didn't receive an answer from Chichiri right away. "What are you doing out here all alone?" Nuriko flopped down on the ground next to the silent Chichiri, a questioning look on his face, as he waited for an answer.

Chichiri started from his state of silent horror when he realized Nuriko was no longer standing above him and was now staring intently at him from only a few feet away.

"What? Oh, I um...I had something I wanted to think about in peace no da. I figured the others would be too busy trying to keep Mitsukake from killing Tasuki-chan to notice I was gone, na no da." Chichiri turned his head to look out over the lake once again and missed the knowing smile forming on Nuriko's face. He'd been watching Chichiri that morning and figured something was weighing heavily on his mind when he'd walked out of the inn.

"So, what were you thinking about," he prodded, figuring it would be better for Chichiri to talk about whatever was bothering him.

"It's nothing, just something I needed to think about no da."

"Is it about Tasuki-chan?"

Chichiri whipped his head around to look at Nuriko a shocked expression on his face. Nuriko's smile turned into a knowing smirk as he waited patiently for Chichiri to regain his composure.

"I take it I was right then," Nuriko asked.

"How did you-?"

"Oh, come on Chichiri-chan. I saw the way you were looking at him this morning when he came down to apologize. It wasn't hard to guess that he was the one you came out here to think about."

"So what if he was," Chichiri grumbled quietly, annoyed that Nuriko had been able to figure him out so easily. "There's nothing you can do to help me with this anyway no da." Chichiri pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them, staring stubbornly out at the lake.

"Don't be so sure Chichiri-chan. I'm a good listener and I'm not to bad at giving advice either. So, what's your problem?" Chichiri rolling his eyes and wrapping his arms around his knees was the only answer Nuriko got, so he decided to wheedle the answer out of Chichiri using another tactic. "Look, staring at that lake hasn't done much good for you so far, so why not try telling me what's wrong. Come on, what have you got to lose?"

Nuriko could've sworn he heard Chichiri mumble something along the lines of "except my sanity" into his arms, but he ignored it. There were a few minutes of silence, broken only by the sound of water washing up on the shore as Nuriko waited patiently for the monk to give in. Just as he'd expected, it only took a few minutes before Chichiri broke down with a sigh.

"It's nothing really, except...ever since last night I just...can't stop thinking about Tasuki-chan no da," Chichiri said reluctantly.

Nuriko's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands triumphantly. "I knew it," he crowed happily. "I knew something went on in that inn room last night that you weren't telling the rest of us about."

"Nothing happened no da," Chichiri responded quickly, but the look Nuriko gave him finally made him relent. "Okay, maybe something happened. But that's not important. Right now all I want to know is why I keep feeling drawn to Tasuki-chan no da."

Nuriko was too busy pouting about the fact that he wasn't going to get any of the juicy details out of Chichiri right then to fully comprehend what Chichiri had said. When he did, his eyes lit up with merriment and he began to giggle uncontrollably.

Chichiri stared at the purple-haired man, a puzzled expression on his face. When Nuriko didn't look like he was going to get himself under control any time soon, Chichiri huffed and pushed his legs out flat in front of him. "What's so funny no da," he asked, a tinge of annoyance evident in his voice.

"It's just...you...Tasuki...and," Nuriko stopped to compose himself, so he could talk without giggling in between words. When he finally had himself under control, he turned back to Chichiri and then had to bite his lip to keep from laughing again.

Chichiri sat quietly glaring at Nuriko as the other man snorted a couple of times before composing himself enough to manage full sentences.

"I really don't see what's so funny no da," Chichiri said when the braided man seemed to have himself under control.

"I'm sorry Chichiri-chan," Nuriko said a huge grin plastered on his face. "I just find it really cute that you have a crush on Tasuki-chan."

"I have a what no da?"

"It's just like with me and Hotohori-sama."

When Nuriko saw the look of disbelief on Chichiri's face he amended his statement. "Okay, so maybe it isn't really a crush yet. Maybe you're just really attracted to him."

"What do you mean, no da?"

"Well," Nuriko thought quietly for a few minutes. "You could feel drawn to Tasuki-chan because you want to have a physical relationship with him."

"How would I know if that's what I want, no da?"

Nuriko smiled and waved his hand. "Oh that's easy Chichiri-chan. All you have to do is try it out and see if you like it."

"What do you mean by _it_, no da," Chichiri asked warily.

Nuriko's eyes glinted and he smirked in a way that made Chichiri altogether uneasy. Then he leaned over and began whispering some very descriptive and very "interesting" things into Chichiri's ear.

Chichiri felt his face slowly heat up at the images Nuriko's words were creating, but found himself fascinated by them all the same. Nuriko was oblivious to the heat radiating off of Chichiri's face as he slowly turned redder and redder with every word Nuriko said. Without warning Chichiri's mask spontaneously combusted, falling in a pile of ash to the ground in front of him.

Nuriko finished his descriptions a few minutes later and smiled when he saw Chichiri's shell-shocked expression. "I guarantee you Chichiri-chan. If you try any of those things, you'll know right away whether or not you're attracted to Tasuki-chan." When Chichiri didn't give any indication that he'd heard what Nuriko said the purple-haired man leaned over to look at Chichiri more closely. "Um...Chichiri-chan, are you okay," Nuriko asked, cautiously poking him on the shoulder. Chichiri's body fell over frozen in the same position it was in when Nuriko stopped talking.

"Uh oh..." Nuriko said looking around guiltily. "I must've overloaded his brain or something when I was talking to him." Nuriko leaned over Chichiri's body and waved a hand in front of his face. When there was still no reaction from the monk, Nuriko began to get a little nervous. He considered the situation for a few minutes and, finding no other option, he looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching.

Nuriko bent down and picked up Chichiri in his arms and walked over to the edge of the lake. Then, looking around again to make sure no one could see him; he nonchalantly tossed Chichiri's stiff form into the lake.

Chichiri hit the water with a splash and he surfaced a few seconds later, sputtering and glaring at Nuriko for all he was worth.

"Oh good," Nuriko called to him, smiling. "I thought I'd lost you for a second there Chichiri-chan." If looks could kill, Nuriko would've been pushing up daises.

Nuriko tried to suppress his laughter behind his hand as he watched the drenched Chichiri stalk out of the pond and up the shore back to where he was standing. Nuriko opened his mouth to apologize for throwing Chichiri in the pond, but Chichiri held up a hand stiffly to stop him as he stalked past him and back toward the inn. Nuriko chuckled softly as he followed the steaming monk.

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Not wanting to go back right away and face the questioning stares of the others at his drenched appearance, Chichiri walked around the village alone for a little while thinking about what Nuriko had said to him _before_ he'd thrown him in the pond. He was grateful for the fact that Nuriko had gone back to the inn instead of continuing to follow him, leaving him to his thoughts.

When Chichiri finally felt he was suitably dry he went back to the inn and sat down with others. By this time it seemed that they'd been able to get Mitsukake under control, though he still gritted his teeth every few minutes and his posture was a little stiffer than normal. At least he wasn't making threats on Tasuki's life anymore.

The group sat in companionable silence for a while, no one feeling the need to talk as they sipped their drinks and ate some food, which had obviously been ordered in Chichiri's absence. No one really felt the need to talk and Chichiri was glad no one was asking him about why he'd left earlier. He suspected that might have something to do with Nuriko, but prayed he was wrong and the braided man hadn't spilled all his secrets to the others in his absence.

The comfortable mood was broken after only a short while though, with the return of Tasuki from his room. He looked better than he had the last time he'd come down the stairs, but that didn't mean the others were any happier to see him. They'd all been secretly hoping he wouldn't venture back out of his room for the rest of the day.

There were a few collective groans from the seishi at the table when they saw Tasuki making his way toward them. When his path veered to the man at the counter where he ordered a bottle of sake, the groans got a little louder. The seishi all watched as Tasuki grinned at the man and then turned around to head back up to his room. On his way there he glanced over at his friends seated around the table and raised his bottle in a salute, grinning toothily all the while.

Tasuki looked at the faces of his friends all staring at him in differing degrees of horror and his grin only grew wider. When his eyes met Chichiri's Tasuki winked, watching as a puzzled expression crossed the monk's face. He glanced at the rest of his friends one last time before turning around and making his way to the foot of the stairs. Stopping there for a second, he turned back around and as an afterthought decided to make one last statement to the group at the table.

"Hey Mitsukake," he called teasingly. "If you want me... I'll be in my room1." With one final wink at the stunned table, Tasuki climbed the stairs to the landing and disappeared through the door of his room.

A few seconds of silence followed the closing of Tasuki's door. Then, as though moving as a single entity, the members of the group sitting at the table, minus one, all turned warily to look at a once again fuming Mitsukake.

"Just one more time," Mitsukake growled. "If he mentions it one... More. Time. I swear I'll..." Mitsukake's words trailed off as he continued to mutter threats under his breath.

Everyone sweatdropped and decided to leave Mitsukake to his brooding. As long as he didn't follow through on his threats they didn't want to risk talking to him and turning his anger on them instead.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, in which no one was really sure what to do, Tamahome spoke up.

"Guys, someone is going to have to stay up in Tasuki's room with him tonight and make sure he doesn't get into any _trouble_." Tamahome nodded in Mitsukake's direction as he emphasized the word "trouble". The others nodded in assent at his statement.

"Okay then... So who's going to be the lucky guy?" Tamahome looked at the seishi sitting around the table and watched as they glanced anywhere but at him. "Oh come on guys, can't-"

"I'll do it no da."

Four pairs of eyes (A/N: Mitsukake's still fuming so he wouldn't look with the others) turned to stare incredulously at the blue-haired monk sitting back calmly in his chair.

"Um...Chichiri-chan, are you sure you want to do that," Tamahome asked hesitantly.

"Of course, no da." Chichiri's expression left no room for any more questions, so Tamahome conceded with a shrug.

"Alright then Chichiri-chan, I hope you know what you're doing."

Chichiri stood up and walked toward the stairs a determined look on his face. Back at the table Nuriko had been watching the proceedings with amusement in his eyes. _It seems that Chichiri-chan has decided to take my advice after all_, he thought a smirk crossing his lips. _Good luck Chichiri-chan,_ he added as he watched the monk make his way up the stairs.

--------------------------

Chichiri closed the door to Tasuki's room quietly behind him, then turned around to face the man who'd been haunting his thoughts all day. He noticed that Tasuki had already begun drinking his bottle of sake, but couldn't tell how far into the bottle Tasuki was. Not wanting to start a conversation, in case the bandit was already drunk, Chichiri crossed the room to the window on the other side and looked out at the village beneath him.

Now that he was in Tasuki's room, he wasn't really sure what to do next. He was starting to have second doubts on whether or not it was really such a good idea to take Nuriko's advice.

Chichiri was broken out of his musings by the sound of Tasuki's voice behind him.

"Hey Chichiri-chan," Tasuki said, getting up from his chair. "Whatcha doin' up here when everybody else is downstairs?"

"I'm here to act as your bodyguard for tonight, and to make sure you don't get into any...trouble no da," Chichiri answered, still looking out the window.

"So...It's just you and me... alone in here fer the rest of the night then?"

"That's right Tasuki-chan, no da."

Chichiri hadn't noticed Tasuki creeping up slowly behind him as he was talking and was startled when the next words Tasuki spoke were whispered in his ear. "Good," Tasuki said huskily. "How 'bout we pick up where we left off last night then?"

"Nani," Chichiri asked, turning around with an astonished look on his face. "But...

b-but...you said you didn't remember anything that happened last night no da." Chichiri's expression became confused as Tasuki continued to stare at him.

"Ah, now that's were yer wrong Chichiri-chan," Tasuki said quietly, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "I said I didn't remember _everythin'_ that happened last night. There's no way I'd forget that sweet little body ya got hidden under all them robes."

The rest of Chichiri's protests were silenced by Tasuki's grinning mouth descending to cover his own.

_Nuriko-chan's really going to gloat about this tomorrow morning,_ Chichiri thought right before he let himself get lost in the wonderful sensation of kissing Tasuki again.

The End

-----------------------

1 I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I had to annoy Mitsukake one last time before I finished this story ·evil grin·

Well that's it folks. That's all she wrote...literally. I am happy to say that "No more sake for Tasuki-chan" is finally completed. I had my doubts as to whether or not it would ever happen, but I'm happy to admit that I was wrong. Anyway, I want to mention to everyone that I'm planning to eventually get around to rechecking the entire story again sometime, so if you see an update for it that's just the revised version and it probably won't be much different than the first one. So anyway, thanks to everyone who's been reading this. I love all of you, my readers. You're all great.

Ja


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